Lies the Devil told Me – Self Doubt!

In his book, Charity’s Fire, Craig Matthews described a scene where people walk around besieged by shadows. These shadows whisper things in people’s ears. And these shadows influence how people react, think, and feel.

Of course, he’s describing what we, in the Christian Community refer to as demons. If you’re not a follower of the Jesus, you may have other names for it. If you’re an atheist, you just might chalk it up to your upbringing or the voices of society.

But I think we’d all agree, there are things that whisper thoughts into our minds.

And these voices have an enormous impact on us. Even the most innocent of comments can cause us not to do something.

Want an example?

My old friend and mentor Dr. Lynn Weldon, and one of our profs, Lena Zamora, cooked up an experiment at college. They spent several days in the College Cafe watching student purchase cola products. They noted most everyone purchased Coke products.

Well, one day they started their experiment. One sat by one door, one by the other, and as students would come in on break they’d tell them, “Hey, don’t buy any (Insert name of drink here). The carbonation is off and it tastes awful.”

Both Profs were highly respected on campus, so everyone took their word for it.

You guessed it. Almost no one purchased that drink during their experiment.

Now, that’s harmless.

But I want to tackle one voice that’s whispered in our ears constantly by the world. It’s one I’ve heard as a child and even now still taunts me.

The voice has one message. Sometimes it’s whispered. Other times, it’s shouted.

What does it say?

“YOU AREN’T GOOD ENOUGH.”

As a teenager, I dabbled in writing. When I really started getting serious about it, I was told this by family. “Concentrate on what’s going to make you a living. After all, . . .” And here it comes. Get ready for it. “. . .You’re just a dumb Mexican. No one wants to hear what you have to say.”

As a teen, I of course, took offense with the words.

I mean the last time I checked; I was born in the States, I’d serve in our Army, and I pay my taxes to the Government of the United States. Further, my research shows that most of my ancestors were ran out of every decent country around, and that some of them were waiting to scalp them when they arrived on this shore. So, the comment about being Mexican is a boldfaced lie. I’m not a citizen of Mexico.And what does that mean, anyway?

As for “Dumb?” Definitely not.

But the point is, I listened to the lie.

Worse, it got reinforced along the way. I recall in the sixth grade we had to memorize multiplication tables. I think we all did. For the life of me, I couldn’t do it.

Result? A couple of whacks across the butt with the Board of Education and a meeting between my teacher and my parents.

And the message? “You’re just a dumb Mexican.” Message, Who cares what your gifts are. You’re a loser because you can’t memorize multiplication tables.

To this day, the voice taunts me. I write an article and I feel fear before I post it. After all, “no one wants to hear what you’ve got to say.”

Now, let’s talk about the voices whispered in your ear.

“You aren’t pretty enough!” It’s tough when we see “Pretty” on television every day. We have this ideal image of what Pretty is in the world. As my character Will Diaz says in an upcoming book, “I’ve met a couple of perfect 10s. Then they opened their mouths and ended up owing points.” Pretty or beauty comes from within.

“You aren’t smart enough.” That’s a tough one in a world that worships at the altar of success. The message we get is “Don’t even try.” It also limits our definition of “success” to mean money, influence, or popularity.

“You’re a wuss.” Message? “You’re already beaten. Stay down.” It encourages us to accept defeat. It doesn’t build into a person the idea that the measure of a human being isn’t how fast they can be knocked down, but if they choose to stay down.

“You’re stupid.” Message, “don’t bother looking for your gifts.” Maybe you aren’t here to memorize multiplication tables, even if you do like math.

“I’m a bad person?” Are you? Or are you just repeating what the voice says about you. Worse, do you really think that? If you stop and really look at yourself, you might find out it’s not true. And if it is, then change it.

We’ve all gotten the messages along the way. And we get pounded with them and others every day.

Get your ears off the message. You are so much more than what gets whispered in your ear.

All you have to do is believe the voice is a lie.

And that’s a good start.